I know it’s hard to believe
by looking at me now,
but I was once a shy, bookish,
unathletic child. And
by ``hard to believe,’’ I mean
``it’s hard to believe things
could have been any other
way.’’
It wasn’t easy, especially
in school, where physical
and athletic prowess went
much farther in determining
social status than the
fact that you had read every
one of the ``Chronicles
of Narnia,’’ back-to-back
over the course of only 10
weeks. Somehow, that little
accomplishment didn’t hold
much sway in a game of
dodge ball or Red Rover.
You never heard: ``Watch
out for Elizabeth. Get close
to her on the field, and
she’ll open up a can of Judeo-
Christian hero archetypes...’’
Even teachers could be
guilty of favoring students
whose athletic skills outshone
their academic dedication.
Perhaps the schools I attended
in Virginia and
Florida were unique in that
regard; I’m sure that kind
of favoritism never happens
here.
My school life — and my
opinion of school in general
— were saved by a few
teachers who valued and
nurtured my love of words
and creative expression.
In fifth grade, my teacher,
Ms. Phetteplace, assigned
the class an exercise
in writing a descriptive
paragraph.
I can’t recall exactly
what I described, but I will
never forget the praise she
wrote in the top margin after
grading it. ``Very creative!
You are an excellent
writer!’’
It’s not an understatement
to say that her encouragement
changed my
life.
Many creative types can
tell similar stories.
My friend Jeannine, who
writes a beautiful column
for another local paper,
shared this story with me:
It was the first day of
eleventh grade. We had a
new English teacher. I
loved English. I loved writing.
Nothing was more exciting
than pouring over a
thesaurus, replacing all the
common words of my compositions
with words that
were big and flowery and
impressive. It was technique
that had earned me
many a ``A’’.
With great flourish, I
tackled my first writing assignment
for this new
teacher. He handed it back
with no grade, just a brief,
typed note. ``I don’t want to
read this. I want to hear
your voice.’’ That moment
forever changed my writing.
I stopped hiding myself
with words. We all have our
own, ever evolving voices.
Writing gives that voice a
song.
It doesn’t have to happen
in the classroom. Creativity
can and should be
nurtured and explored anywhere.
Human beings are,
by nature, creative creatures.
We use our creativity
in all aspects of our lives
from solving complicated
problems to building relationships.
Most children
won’t grow up to join the
ranks of professional artists,
writers, singers or
dancers. But the creative
muscles you develop
through those endeavors
will serve you well no matter
where life takes you.
Sadly, a lot of children
live with a deficit of creative outlets.
Where children used to
play with blocks and dolls
and trucks (the building
blocks of creating your own
stories and plots), they now
play with games and toys
that demand as much personal
creativity as manning
your terminal on the factory
line or operating a cash
register. It’s a shame that
the economy in this country
is shifting away from those
factory jobs to jobs where
creativity is key.
Like I said, creativity
can be nurtured in any
number of ways and settings.
One place where creativity
will be kind this summer
is in a series of workshops
in Cooperstown. I’m
very honored to be part of
this project. Along with
professional graphic designer
Susan Strandberg
and fellow writer Jeannine
Bohler, I will be teaching
classes for children in elementary
and middle school.
We’ll be writing our own
fairy tales and memoirs.
We’ll be creating unique
designs inspired by nature.
We’ll learn to write like
food critics and travel writers.
If you want to know
more, join us for a pre-registration
Open House from
5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June
23, in the studio of Cooperstown
Performing Arts, on
the third floor of the Key
Bank Building.
If you can’t make it to
the open house, but you’re
interested in learning more,
e-mail me at
villagewordsmith@gmail.
com.
Elizabeth Trever Buchinger
is a shameless promoter
for creativity. You
can connect with her at
www.moremindfulfamily.wordpress.com
